The Discovery of Poetry - (Harvest Original) by Frances Mayes (Paperback)

About the Book

The bestselling author of "Under the Tuscan Sun" brings poetry out of the classroom and into the homes of everyday readers.

Book Synopsis

The bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun brings poetry
out of the classroom and into the homes of everyday readers.

Before she fell in love with Tuscany, Frances Mayes fell in love with verse. After publishing five books of poetry and teaching creative writing for more than twenty-five years, Mayes is no stranger to the subject. In The Discovery of Poetry, an accessible "field guide" to reading and writing poetry, she shares her passion with readers. Beginning with basic terminology and techniques, from texture and sound to rhyme and repetition, Mayes shows how focusing on one aspect of a poem can help you to better understand, appreciate, and enjoy the reading and writing experience. In addition to many creative and helpful composition ideas, following each lyrical and lively discussion is a thoughtful selection of poems. With its wonderful anthology from Shakespeare to Jamaica Kinkaid, The Discovery of Poetry is an insightful, invaluable guide to what Mayes calls "the natural pleasures of language-a happiness we were born to have."

From the Back Cover

Long before she fell in love with Tuscany, Frances Mayes fell in love with poetry. The author of five poetry collections, she was also a professor of creative writing at San Francisco State University. In this accessible field guide, Mayes invites readers to share her lifelong passion. Beginning with basic terminology and techniques, The Discovery of Poetry reveals how focusing on each aspect of a poem can help you better understand, appreciate, and enjoy the whole reading and writing experience. In addition to creative composition ideas, lyrical and lively discussions are followed by a thoughtful selection of poems. With its distinguished
anthology of work from Shakespeare to Jamaica Kincaid, this is an insightful, invaluable guide to what Mayes calls "the natural pleasures of language-a happiness we were born to have."

Frances Mayes is the author of the bestselling Under the Tuscan Sun, Bella Tuscany, and In Tuscany, which have been translated into twenty languages. She has written five books of poetry including, most recently, Ex Voto. Formerly the chair of the Creative Writing Department at San Francisco State University, she divides her time northern California and Cortona, Italy.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN AND BELLA TUSCANY

Mayes displays a gift for conveying everyday life through her writing. . . . [She] presents a simpler, less frantic version of how to live one's life."

-USA Today

Frances Mayes is, before all else, a wonderful writer."-Chicago Tribune

Somehow, this is a narrative at once joyful and full of common sense,

a balance that few other writers have struck so perfectly. It's as intimate as

a lover's whisper, honest and true, and vividly captures a sense of place."

-San Francisco Chronicle